Rotherham United’s automatic promotion chances took a huge knock after defeat away from home at local rivals Sheffield United. With Wembley on the horizon, Blades boss Nigel Clough made eight changes from his sides 1-1 draw at home to Leyton Orient at the weekend.
A fiercely contested local derby was on the cards, and the game didn’t fail to disappoint with regards to the atmosphere and the players. You knew the nature of the game when Millers player Rob Milsom picked up a booking inside five minutes.
However, the first half was a half with few chances for either side. James Tavernier provided the best opportunity when he fired a bullet of a shot from just outside the box which required current second choice keeper George Long to save smartly.
For the majority, the second half was the same. Jose Baxter provided a warning for the visitors when he thundered one of the half volley just wide of Adam Collin’s goal.
With no real chances following after that, the Blades won a free kick late on. On loan Ben Davies whipped in an out-swinging delivery, the ball got cleared but referee Mike Dean pointed to the spot when Craig Morgan fouled Blades youngster Harry Maguire inside the area. Davies placed smartly into the bottom corner in the 90th minute.
Sheffield United
| George Long – Only Tavernier tested him and he dealt with it well. | 7.5 |
| Terry Kennedy – The youngster was solid at the back. Looked like he was a regular first team player. | 8.5 |
| Harry Maguire – Captain for the night. Solid as always at the back. Won everything. | 9.0 |
| Matt Hill – Bit shaky to start but settled into the centre half role really well. | 8.0 |
| Bob Harris – Also a little rusty at the start but settled in early on. Solid. Subbed. | 8.0 |
| Ben Davies – Worked really hard on and off the ball and scored a penalty. | 8.0 |
| Connor Dimaio – First ever game for the first team and he commanded the midfield. Looked really confident on the ball. No faults with his performance. Subbed. | 9.5 |
| Stephen McGinn – Looked really good for the most part. Picked his passes well. Needs to improve his touch a bit. | 8.5 |
| Kieron Freeman – Played out of position but coped with it well. Some good speed and passing. | 8.0 |
| Jose Baxter – Held play up well. Turned on the ball nicely. Subbed. | 8.0 |
| Billy Paynter – Chased down play well on occasions and flicked the ball on well. | 7.5 |
Substitutions
| Otis Khan – Had a nice finesse about his play. Wasn’t afraid to go on a run up-field | 8.0 |
| Louis Reed – Not scared to get stuck into the game. Played nicely. | 8.0 |
| Conor Coady – Not enough time to contribute properly. Looked okay. | 6.0 |
Rotherham United
| Adam Collin – Barely tested in the first half. Indecisive at times. Average game. | 7.5 |
| Joe Skarz – Always looked pretty good at the back but never influential. | 7.5 |
| Kari Arnason – Played some nice passes from the back. Looked comfortable. | 8.0 |
| Alex Revell – Had a quiet first half and never seemed in the game. Strong in the air. | 7.0 |
| Rob Milsom – Only on the pitch for 50 minutes. Quiet and never had a huge effect. Booked early and subbed. | 6.5 |
| Ben Pringle – Took a while to get going but did end up looking lively. Looked average. Subbed. | 7.5 |
| Craig Morgan – Good in the air. Committed an unnecessary foul for the penalty. Booked. | 7.0 |
| Kieran Agard – Had a nice bit of pace but didn’t do anything dangerous play-wise. | 7.0 |
| James Tavernier – Read play in the air pretty well. Had a fierce shot on him. Caused some problems. | 8.5 |
| Tom Hitchcock – Had a quiet game compared to the weekend. Subbed. | 7.0 |
| Richard Smallwood – Jockeyed attackers well but made some unnecessary tackles some of the time. | 7.5 |
Substitutions
| Michael O’Connor – Beaten when he was defending but looked okay. | 6.5 |
| Wes Thomas – Contributed nothing of note. | 5.0 |
| Haris Vuckic – Contributed nothing of note | 5.0 |
Man of the Match
| Connor Dimaio – For his debut game, he was unbelievable. Played some amazing passes and looked really comfortable on the ball and whilst he was going forward. Brilliant game. | 9.5 |
